Best games with low production values (must have powerups)

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:18 am

As per topic. My choices so far:

RayForce
Oh god, this game is so ugly!!! But thankfully it has a unique secondary shot chaining system, also seen in the somewhat prettier Fighter/Attacker, Taito and Namco knew winning shmup systems. It will keep you replaying and memorizing those stages for literally hours!

Gun & Frontier
Oh GOD, these guns are ALL WRONG. They don't look anything like the real thing. Hey, are we flying? Somebody slide another one down the bar this way, I don't think I'm feeling it enough yet.

Great scoring tricks though!

Final Star Force
The most innovative game on this list so far. Nice little throwback to Gemini Wing at the end of the first stage, except it's you as the boss at the top of the waterfall. Automagic timed powerup system. Don't get much better'n' this folks. Really terrible scenery though, they probably used up all their budget on the intricate enemy patterns. Note: I'm not counting enemy patterns and Itano Circuses as "super awesome looking."

Udderdude · Post by **Udderdude** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:27 am

Forget that, let's see the best games with no production values.

Aaaaand the winner is .. http://www.kongregate.com/games/Rete/do ... your-pants

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:55 am

cool post, I got two awards

GUESS WHICH TWO THEY WERE!?
However, there was nothing to dodge in that game, and no powerups, so it isn't even Toilet Kids.

It was requested that I add RADIANT SILVERGUN to this thread.

A wise man once said (paraphrasing here):

"Radiant Silvergun is like an updated Galaga made by the Japanese." This one might make me change my standard unfortunately - it does play well but it's also VERY PRETTY. Parasol ship things to victory!

But more important are the pretty cool systems involved in this game (I am going off help from other posters since I am no good at this "very hard and very cool" excellent tough game!)

It has the patented "traffic control" system for letting you guide the enemy ships safely to the scrapyard. Please remember to unfasten your seatbelt before entering the crusher

Also shooting just one color enemy is a good idea,

Koa Zo · Post by **Koa Zo** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:27 am

I think this would count: I nominate Trizeal.

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:07 am

Ed Oscuro wrote: It was requested that I add RADIANT SILVERGUN

jokes

you're talking to the wrong people. for a start, there are no power-ups. i wrote a bunch of shit about this game here.

VERY PRETTY

true

as per thread: half of psikyo's backcatalogue looks like it was made on the cheap. whether they represent the "best" of anything is another matter.. (

)

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:23 am

play our shitty traffic control minigame 2 power up

it's proto-braid, awash in pretension to hide how simple (and at times banal) it is from people like jpj and nimitz

2 years later = many years?

also raiden fighters came up with grazing for score first, and it's little more than a joke in silvergun unless you think 70000 points from grazing in the entire game is a lot

Koa Zo wrote:I think this would count: I nominate Trizeal.

better than silvergun, doesn't belong here though, fujino spent all his money to make that game, that can't possibly qualify as low budget

Enhasa · Post by **Enhasa** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:49 am

I like how people are replying to the thread title without even glancing at the first post! Will the moderators do the same?

I nominate Gradius V and Dodonpachi.

Post by **nZero** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:11 am

Enhasa wrote:I like how people are replying to the thread title without even glancing at the first post! Will the moderators do the same?

Nah, we actually have to read all this shit.

Xexex was awesome, like Gradius on LSD, except MAME is way cheaper than that shady guy on the corner. Too bad they didn't have enough letters left in the budget to call it Xexexius!

Koa Zo · Post by **Koa Zo** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:26 pm

Twiddle wrote:
Enhasa wrote:I like how people are replying to the thread title without even glancing at the first post! Will the moderators do the same?
huh?

Koa Zo wrote:I think this would count: I nominate Trizeal.
better than silvergun, doesn't belong here though, fujino spent all his money to make that game, that can't possibly qualify as low budget

I should have substantiated my thought last night, but was too tired...
If I spent all my money to make a shmup that wouldn't mean it has high production values.
While I thoroughly respect and enjoy Trizeal, its production values are bare bones, I'd say.
No CGI cutscenes, or arranged music tracks or unlockables.. etc.
I'd say Trizeal (DC) is pretty bare bones and straight forward.

perhaps the concept of "low production values" needs to be clarified or defined.

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:29 pm

i'd like to nominate ikaruga*

*may not have low production values, and may not feature power-ups

SockPuppetHyren · Post by **SockPuppetHyren** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:08 pm

Blue Wish Resurrection.

You can't get much lower than nothing.

Gmintyfresh · Post by **Gmintyfresh** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:26 pm

Dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU Black Label EXTRA

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:43 pm

SockPuppetHyren wrote:Blue Wish Resurrection.

You can't get much lower than nothing.

I see your Blue Wish Resurrection and raise you a Samidare.

Also, I'm surprised nobody ITT has mentioned Shienryu yet. The game was, for the most part, the poor man's Raiden, didn't really do much to define itself and was like the emitome of generic-ness, but god fucking damn, was it fun. Lightning or homing rockets were god-tier.

Observer · Post by **Observer** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:15 pm

Zweihander wrote:
SockPuppetHyren wrote:Blue Wish Resurrection.

You can't get much lower than nothing.
I see your Blue Wish Resurrection and raise you a Samidare.

I'll counter with a Zen-Ichi. But at this rate we'll end up naming Touhou. You all saw that one coming. The production values are powered by beer there.

However, I would like to nominate Chaos Field: BOSSU RASHU MODO. That or Under Defeat.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:03 pm

Observer wrote:
Zweihander wrote:
SockPuppetHyren wrote:Blue Wish Resurrection.

You can't get much lower than nothing.
I see your Blue Wish Resurrection and raise you a Samidare.
I'll counter with a Zen-Ichi. But at this rate we'll end up naming Touhou. You all saw that one coming. The production values are powered by beer there.

However, I would like to nominate Chaos Field: BOSSU RASHU MODO. That or Under Defeat.

Under Defeat was low-budget...?

SockPuppetHyren · Post by **SockPuppetHyren** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:04 pm

Observer wrote:
Zweihander wrote:
SockPuppetHyren wrote:Blue Wish Resurrection.

You can't get much lower than nothing.
I see your Blue Wish Resurrection and raise you a Samidare.
I'll counter with a Zen-Ichi. But at this rate we'll end up naming Touhou. You all saw that one coming. The production values are powered by beer there.

However, I would like to nominate Chaos Field: BOSSU RASHU MODO. That or Under Defeat.

We could always just skip the step and say anything by Siter Skain.

Though I have my doubts since Reflex took 10 years to finish.

I'll throw in Radirgy, I doubt even the original R-type was considered to have low production values, as it couldn't be ported properly until the PS1.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:34 pm

you forgot to unwrap part of that quote there so i fixed it for you

Koa Zo wrote:
Enhasa wrote:I like how people are replying to the thread title without even glancing at the first post! Will the moderators do the same?
huh?

Koa Zo wrote:
Twiddle wrote:
Koa Zo wrote:I think this would count: I nominate Trizeal.
better than silvergun, doesn't belong here though, fujino spent all his money to make that game, that can't possibly qualify as low budget
I should have substantiated my thought last night, but was too tired...
If I spent all my money to make a shmup that wouldn't mean it has high production values.
While I thoroughly respect and enjoy Trizeal, its production values are bare bones, I'd say.
No CGI cutscenes, or arranged music tracks or unlockables.. etc.
I'd say Trizeal (DC) is pretty bare bones and straight forward.

perhaps the concept of "low production values" needs to be clarified or defined.

shit man the guy even hired a singer for the stage 4 music for the OST that isn't what you'd see from a low budget production

Zweihander wrote:Under Defeat was low-budget...?

cone trees

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:37 pm

Twiddle wrote:you forgot to unwrap part of that quote there so i fixed it for you
Koa Zo wrote:
Enhasa wrote:I like how people are replying to the thread title without even glancing at the first post! Will the moderators do the same?
huh?

Koa Zo wrote:
Twiddle wrote: better than silvergun, doesn't belong here though, fujino spent all his money to make that game, that can't possibly qualify as low budget
I should have substantiated my thought last night, but was too tired...
If I spent all my money to make a shmup that wouldn't mean it has high production values.
While I thoroughly respect and enjoy Trizeal, its production values are bare bones, I'd say.
No CGI cutscenes, or arranged music tracks or unlockables.. etc.
I'd say Trizeal (DC) is pretty bare bones and straight forward.

perhaps the concept of "low production values" needs to be clarified or defined.
shit man the guy even hired a singer for the stage 4 music for the OST that isn't what you'd see from a low budget production

Zweihander wrote:Under Defeat was low-budget...?
cone trees

Bombs that looked like actual napalm bombs.

Btw, nice icon.

Koa Zo · Post by **Koa Zo** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:10 am

Twiddle wrote: low-budget.

"low budget" means the same thing as "low production values"?
not really

this thread is too complicated.

null1024 · Post by **null1024** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:19 pm

I can't believe no-one's said Cho Ren Sha.

PS: been meaning to say this -- RayForce is not ugly.

ZOM · Post by **ZOM** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:41 pm

DRAGON SABER

...and fuck the haters...

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:09 pm

null1024 wrote:I can't believe no-one's said Cho Ren Sha.

PS: been meaning to say this -- RayForce is not ugly.

Fucking Cho Ren Sha... /thread. The game is distributed as a JPG, for god's sake.

Also yeah, agreed on Rayforce. Did a better job in 2D than Storm did in 3D.